Iceland coming in from the cold

Although the Football Association of Iceland (Knattspyrnusamband Íslands or KSÍ) was founded as late as 1947, the Football Federation of Reykjavik – as authorised by the Icelandic Sports Federation – had overseen a national championship from 1912 onwards. Once established, the KSÍ was affiliated to FIFA in 1947, gaining UEFA membership seven years later.

Just three teams participated in the debut league season of 1912, yet the game gradually grew in popularity, even if the number of clubs increased slowly. By the KSÍ's formation year, there were 14 member clubs, of which eight remain fully active: Fram, KR, Víkingur and Valur from Reykjavik; Haukar and FH from Hafnarfjordur; and KA and Thór from Akureyri. Today, around 80 clubs fall under the KSÍ aegis.

The country's first official international was played in 1946, 12 months before the KSÍ's arrival on the scene. Denmark were in opposition and inflicted a convincing 3-0 defeat on the Icelandic side.

Iceland's first victory came in 1947, 2-0 against Finland in Reykjavik. Three years later the Icelandic team recorded one of the greatest wins in their history: Sweden were beaten 4-3 in the capital, with ÍA Akranes player Ríkhardur Jónsson scoring all four goals. The Swedes would not lose to Iceland again for 50 years, until they went down 2-1 in Reykjavik in August 2000. However, the side's lowest moment was in 1967 when Denmark inflicted a 14-2 defeat in Copenhagen.

In the last decade and a half, the team have regularly given eye-catching performances. A 1-0 success against Russia in 1998 and a 3-1 triumph over the Czech Republic in 2001 are among the highlights. Other notable results have been registered against strong football nations such as Norway and Northern Ireland. And one of the proudest days arrived in 2004, with Italy dispatched 2-0 in a Reykjavik friendly in front of a record crowd at Laugardalsvöllur Stadium.

That the side narrowly failed to qualify for both UEFA EURO 2000 and UEFA EURO 2004 shows how small footballing outposts like Iceland can worry big-name opponents. One reason for this development is the steady number of Icelandic players building professional careers abroad. Against this backdrop came the feat of qualification – at the expense of holders Germany – for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Denmark, the country's first representation at a major UEFA men's tournament.

The first Icelandic professional, and one of the greatest, was Albert Gudmundsson who played for Arsenal FC, AC Milan, and AS Nancy-Lorraine in the 1950s. A statue of Gudmundsson stands in front of the KSÍ headquarters. Other famous players include: Ásgeir Sigurvinsson, a captain of VfB Stuttgart; Atli Edvaldsson, a German Bundesliga striker; Arnór Gudjohnsen, who was with RSC Anderlecht and FC Girondins de Bordeaux; and Eyjólfur Sverrisson, who gave long fruitful service to Stuttgart and Hertha BSC Berlin, plus Beşiktaş JK in Turkey. Now more than 50 Icelanders ply their trade on foreign fields, mostly in England and Scandinavia. The best-known remains Eidur Gudjohnsen, whose CV displays a UEFA Champions League winners' medal with FC Barcelona and stints with Bolton Wanderers FC, Chelsea FC and AS Monaco FC.

Iceland's early international matches took place at the old Melavöllurinn Stadium in Reykjavik, where attendances of up to 10,000 were recorded for big games. The current main stadium, Laugardalsvöllur, was opened in the capital in 1957, and is now the real centre of Icelandic football. In 1968 more than 18,000 spectators watched a European Champion Clubs' Cup tie between Valur Reykjavík and Eusébio's SL Benfica. That attendance record stood until August 2004 when 20,204 fans saw Iceland beat Italy. By the turn of the decade, the stadium's basic capacity comprised 10,000 seating and 4,000 standing places.

President

Geir Thorsteinsson

Nationality: IcelandicDate of Birth: 9 September 1964Association president since: 2007

• After representing KR Reykjavík at all youth levels, Geir Thorsteinsson moved into refereeing in his teens, officiating at senior levels as well as coaching young players; combined these duties with positions in the KR administration, initially as club secretary, then as a member of the board and vice-president.

• Joined the Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) as office manager in 1992, becoming general manager five years later and then being elected president in 2007. His success in coach education and infrastructure development were crowned as Iceland competed at the UEFA Women's EUROs in 2009 and 2013, and qualified for the 2011 mens' UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Thorsteinsson was elected for a fifth term at the helm in February 2015.

• Thorsteinsson said: "We have tried our best to build for the future, both in terms of stadiums and indoor sports halls as well as coach education, and that has paid off. Youth participation is increasing and we can see many young, talented players, both boys and girls, making the step up in technical terms."

General secretary

Thórir Hákonarson

Nationality: IcelandicDate of birth: 11 June 1969Association general secretary since: February 2007

• Thórir Hákonarson has been passionately involved in football for most of his life. Having gone through the youth ranks as a player as hometown club KS Siglufjördur, Hákonarson later became club general secretary and chairman from 2000 to 2006.

• Having earned a masters degree in international relations from the London School of Economics (LSE), Hákonarson was appointed Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) general secretary in February 2007, succeeding Geir Thorsteinsson, who was elected president the same month.

• Currently a member of UEFA's Media Committee, Hákonarson has been at the KSÍ helm through exciting times in the country's footballing history.

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